Writing Collaborations: Are Two Heads Better Than One?

Angela,

I just finished reading this week’s article on collaboration and was almost to the point of talking back to the text. The article offers insights on many important aspects of collaboration, but it neglects one of the most important–the author’s voice.

If I were to write something, even if I left it unsigned or wrote it anonymously, people would be able to tell that I wrote it. Thus, if I wrote with a partner, I think it would be extremely difficult to meld my partner’s voice and my own into something cohesive and coherent.

I would love to see some discussion or analysis on the issue.

Many Thanks,

Elizabeth Grisham
Gainesville, VA

When PR People Make Dumb Mistakes

I just had to share this when I saw the heading ‘When PR people make dumb mistakes.’

Here in Vancouver we have the ongoing case of alleged serial killer Robert Pickton. He, in part, was a farmer who raised pigs and, as a result, the case has become known as the pig farm killings. Pork sales plummeted. The furor over it all had died down after a preliminary hearing and the story had vanished from the news while the case moved toward trial.

Out of nowhere came a press release from a pork producers association asking media not to call it the pig farm killings case. The release itself became the story as the alleged murder case had vanished from the news. Pork prices plummeted as a result of the press release about Port Coquitlam pig producer Pickton.

-Name not published on request

Another Type Of Author Fraud…

I just wanted to tell you what happened this week regarding bogus book orders. I’m in a writer’s e-mail group and a writer had a new pregnancy book come out. She wrote the group and told us that Barnes and Noble didn’t want to carry the book. She asked all of us to place orders with our local Barnes and Noble stores, pick up the books when they come in and she would reimburse us for the cost (I wasn’t interested in doing this, but she did have quite a few ladies in the group that responded to the group and said they would do it).

Granted, she was wasn’t leaving the store stuck with them, but it just goes to show that people do cheat to try to get their book in the stores. She said that if enough were ordered across the country that Barnes and Noble would place an order.

Thanks!
-Name not published on request